Pleasantville council adopts Safe Streets action plan after residents urge stronger enforcement

The Pleasantville City Council on March 16 unanimously approved a Safe Streets and Roads program action plan and a no-cost extension for the related grant after residents urged faster enforcement and additional traffic-calming measures.

Resident Rick Norris told the council new stop signs and LED signals on several residential streets are not enough because motorists continue to run the signs and speed at night. "It's not safe, and there's a total disregard for property and human life," Norris said, urging cameras, speed bumps or other measures "like yesterday." (Rick Norris.)

Council members and staff said they are working through options that are legally permissible. An engineering representative noted the city has installed LED signs and asked the police to increase patrols; the official added that some requests — like camera enforcement at local stop signs — are limited by legal and technical constraints. "You've done everything that you could possibly do legally to make that safer," the city representative said. (Agency official, speaker 11.)

The council approved Resolution 53 to adopt the action plan and Resolution 52 to authorize a second no-cost extension for the Safe Streets for All grant administered by GPI Incorporated. Roll call on Resolution 53 recorded unanimous "Yes" votes from the members present.

Why it matters: Council members said the program will fund engineering changes and outreach intended to reduce crashes and protect children near schools and day-care centers. Staff recommended a public notification strategy (social-media and local outreach) to alert residents to new patterns and enforcement steps in advance.

Next steps: Staff will move forward with the action plan tasks tied to the grant extension, coordinate with the police department on enforcement timing, and consider targeted public-notification measures to increase compliance and awareness.